Oil distributor for automobile engines



Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,681

A. K. PALM OIL DISTRIBUTOR FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES Filed Sept. 15. 1920 Patented Aug. ll, i925.

NITE-n stares AGKEB K. PALM, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

OIL DISTRIBUTOR FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES.

Application filed September 5, 1920. Serial No. 410,533.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it lmown that I, Acnnn K. PALM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil Distributors for Automobile Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to novel means for evenly distributing the oil throughout the oil basin in an automobile engine.

The modern gasolene engines used in automobiles have the crankcase provided with a lower cover or crank-case sump in the bottom of which anoil-splash trough is provided for each crank, as, for instance, in the Ford engine there are four oil-splash troughs in the bottom of the sump which are intended to be supplied with oil for the purpose of oiling the main shaft bearings, crank-pin bearings, wrist-pin bearings, camshaft bearings, timing gears, cams, valvelifters and guides, pistons, piston-rings and cylinder walls. In this type of engine the .splash-circulating system is used, the principal body of oil being in the large tly-wheel oil-pocket and carried up by said wheel to a funnel or cup on the end of crank-ease oil-tube and thence downwardly to the large timing gear, from whence it flows backwardly over the sump into the oil-splash troughs and back into the fly-wheel oilpocket and is repeatedly carried up by the fly-wheel and eontinuuosly circulated in the same manner.

Heretofore it has been found that the flow of oil from the large timing-gear backward over the sump furnishes an excess of overflow of oil in the two forward oil-splash troughs, thereby causing the oil-splasher on connecting rod to carry an excess of oil upwardly into the cylinder, some of which works past the piston-rings and is burned in the explosive mixture, thereby wasting oil and carbonizing the cylinder walls, pistonhead and valves, and fouling the spark plugs and thereby greatly impairing the efficiency of the engine.

The object of my invention is to distribute the oil in such a manner as to provide a uniform and only the necessary amount of oil in each splash-trough and thereby overcome the above objection, and also to provide simple, economical, easily applied and efficient means for this purpose.

My invention consists in providing a substantially U-shaped baflle having an upright wall with a lateral inwardly extending attaching flange and having an oil'opening or assage in the front wall thereofnear bottom, inserted in the front end'of the sump and held therein between said sump and the front portion of the lower inspec- 'tion cover reenforcement by the bolts already provided for holding said ree'nforcement in place.

My invention also consists in the parts, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as herein set forth and claimed.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of the loi er portion of crank c'ase showing the operating mechanism in elevation and showing my invention applied thereto; 7

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved oil battle;

3 is a plan View of the crank-case lower cover or sump showing my novel battle in position therein; and

Fig. is a transverse section on the line ti of Fig. 3. i

In the embodiment of my invention as illustrated and which shows a'preferred con struction, a battle 1 of substantially U- shaped formation having side-walls 2, end or front wall 3, depression 4, oil-passage 5 and inturned attaching flange 6 with attaching holes 7 which correspond and register with the bolt holes 7 in the lower crankcase inspection cover for the purpose of securing the front portion of the crank-case lower inspection cover reenforcement 8 therein. Vi hen it is desired to provide the motor or engine with my device, simply detach the lower crankcase or sump -.8. Then remove the crank case lower inspection cover reenforcement 9, place the baffle 1 in the position shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4: with the crank ease lower inspection cover reenforcement 9 thereon and bolt these parts together. Then attach sump 8 to the cylinder case 10 in the. usual manner, and the device is ready for use. It will be seen that the oil 11 in the fly-wheel pocket 12 will be carried upwardly by fly-wheel 13 and discharged into funnel? or cup 1d from whence it will flow by gravity through crank-case oil tube 15 to the large time-gearl6 and thence down into the channel 17 between the end of said batlle and sump, part of the oil passing through passage 5 to supply oil to spash-troughs 18 and 19 and part of it passing around in the channels 20 and 21 between the sides of the sump and the side baffle walls 2, and thence through the breaks 22 between the front lower crankcase inspection cover reenforcement 9 and the rear lower crank-case inspection cover reenforcement 9, as indicated by the arrows, to oil splash trough 23, part of the oil continuing backward as indicated by the arrows to oil splash-trough 2st and thence t fly-wheel oil-pocket 12. Any excess of oil in oil-splash-troughs 23 will flow backward to oil-splash-trough Qt and any eX- cess in the latter oil-splash trough will readily flow downwardly into said pocket 12. Thus it will be seen that by this simple construction and arrangement, the oil is very evenly distributed to the several oilsplash-troughs in such a manner that no excess of oil is supplied to any of said oilsplash-troughs and especially to the two forward oil-splash-troughs as heretofore, so that only the necessary amount of oil to properly lubricate the bearings and other essential surfaces will be supplied thereto, thereby avoiding the carrying of any appreciable amount of oil past the piston rings into the combustion chamber, and thus avoiding the objectionable fouling of spark plugs and carbonization of the oil with its attendant injurious results.

It will be observed that the front-end wall 3 is cut away to form a depression 4 to permit said end-wall 3t0 be free from contact with the front main bearing cap immediat'ely'above said wall,

It will be apparent that my invention is capableo'f some modification without de parturefroinfits scope or spirit as defined in the claims, as, for instance, while I have shown the the desired form for use wli'e nl a'ppliedto a Ford engine it may assuine' a somewhat modified form to adapt it to'the shape of'the engine casing of other engines in'which it is'capable of use. If de-' sired, theside and end wall may be reduced "height 'so "as-to make the side and end of substan'tially uniform height throughout withoutany depression such as 4, but 1n a Ford-engine, I prefer to have the side walls and a portion of the end wall of the height indicated in order to insure the non-overflow of oil in the oil channels between the side walls and engine casing.

It will be noted that the same bolts which are now used to secure the lower crank-case cover reenforeement in place are used to secure my battle in place, so that the only additional part required to carry my invention into effect is the one-piece baffle itself, which may be formed or stamped of sheet metal or may be cast in the desired shape.

Having described my invention and its manner of use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an oil distributor for automobile engines, a lower crank case or sump having oil splash-troughs therein, a U-shaped baffle having side and end walls and a lateral attaching flange, mounted in said sump and secured apart therefrom at its front end and sides to form an oil channel, and having a passage through the front end of said baffle, and means for securing said ballle in place.

2. In an oil distributor for automobile engines, a sump having oil splash-troughs spaced apart therein, a baffle having side and end walls, the end wall having an oil passage therethrough, and also being cut away at its upper edge, and means for curing said baffle in place, said bafflebeing spaced apart from the walls of said sump between its sides and front end to form oil channels between the respective walls,

8. In anoil distributor for engines, a battle havingsubstantially upright side and end walls and an inwardly extending per forated holding flange, said end wall haw ing an oil passage. v

4. In an oil distributor for automobile engines, a lower crank case or sump having; oil splash troughs therein, a U-shapet bar e having side and end walls and a lateral attaching flange, mounted in said sump and secured apart therefrom, at its front end and side to form an oil chamber and said baffle serving to equally distribute the oil to the splaslrtrouglis.

AGKER K. PALM. 

